Behind The Scenes
by esprit en deuil
Summary: Gibbs gives up his solitary life by getting together with a subordinate. But is she the right one for him? after all, she's not the only one who has the hots for the boss. Read the A/N at the beginning of the first chapter!
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hiya folks! So this ficcie is written for Eng-sana, who btw has been really patient with me taking ages with this fic. The fic Eng wanted was a Gibbs/Other fic where Tony was also in love with Gibbs, but puts up a brave front and supports the relationhip. Whether it ends up Tony/Gibbs or stays Gibbs/Other was left for me to decide so we'll see ;D **_

_**This fic has a lot of Hurt! and Angst!Tony, and It does have a pairing of Gibbs/Ziva at least in the beginning. Which I never thought I would write but there's always a first time for everything XD **_

_**This is very much a WIP, but I'm trying to update every few days. **_

_**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me, even the idea for this fic is someone else's XD. (oh but imagine the fun things I'd do if I owned NCIS... *happy thoughts*) **_

Four months. Four months of pure torture.

Tony shook his head as he tried to will his exhausted body to move after a night of tossing and turning. He slowly got up and made his way to the head to take care of his morning routine, contemplating calling in sick for a second before dismissing the idea. Gibbs wouldn't buy it and that could potentially open up a whole new can of worms he'd rather keep closed.

Or maybe the silver haired NCIS agent wouldn't even notice that he was missing from work since he had Ziva there to keep him occupied. The thought made bile rise to his throat but he pushed it back.

He'd lost too much weight already since this started and seeing as he hadn't slept too much either it might be enough to really make him sick if he gave into the urge to puke his guts out.

Well at least then he'd really be sick and he wouldn't have to watch Ziva flirt with Gibbs and every time the man responded, shoot a self satisfied smirk in Tony's direction. Rubbing in that she got the man they were both in love with and who Tony had been pining after for as long as he'd worked at NCIS.

Tony brushed his teeth and shaved while thinking back to the day four moths ago when his life had taken a turn for the worse.

It had been a good day, up until the point Gibbs and Ziva made their announcement that they were together and had been for a few weeks. It had taken everything in him, to keep back the scream that wanted to escaped Tony as he heard the news.

He'd loved the man for longer than he dared to admit, but since Gibbs had never shown any indication of feeling anything positive towards him, and there was the rule twelve to consider, he hadn't made a move.

And now the man had broken his own rules and gotten involved with a coworker. And the smirk on Ziva's face as she stood by Gibbs' side as they told of their commitment was one of smug satisfaction.

Tony flinched as the razor nicked a piece of his skin as his hand twitched as the memory haunted him.

After that the Italian had made every appropriate noise and congratulated Ziva and Gibbs with everyone else, ignoring the worried look he got from Abby for having his heart shattered, and keeping the mask on for as long as it took him to make his escape.

Now it had been four months since the day and he'd played the role of a supportive friend, pushing his own feelings to the back ground and doing his best to support the two people he considered friends.

Well he wasn't sure what to make of Ziva really. She had been well aware of Tony's attraction to Gibbs like had Ducky and Abby, and still she'd gone after the older man.

Though could he really blame her? After all who in their right mind wouldn't go after Gibbs? And besides, he'd decided from the beginning that he wouldn't hold a grudge, since it wasn't her fault he had been stupid enough to let himself fall for a man who could never return any of his feelings.

But this had been going on for four months already and he hadn't exactly been dealing with it well, but he'd functioned well enough that Abby's and Ducky's concern for him had faded even if they still looked at him with something close to worry in their expression when they saw the dark bags under his eyes and Tim had made a few attempts at getting him to eat more, but he was fine. He shouldn't be feeling like he was going to fall apart any moment, he shouldn't be this close to edge all of a sudden.

Well it wasn't just all of a sudden.

He walked to his bedroom and picked up his cell, opening the file containing all his received texts and he opened the one he'd gotten the previous night from Ziva.

The bile rose in his throat again as he read the two words written.

_'He proposed' _

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Wow! I was overwhelmed by the response to the first chapter! For some reason I had some difficulties answering to some of the reviews, So I want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to drop in a few words or put this fic on alert or to favorites. You guys are awesome! I had to re-write this chapter a few times so I hope you enjoy the version I finally decided to go with :D . Now on with the fic! **_

"Hold the elevator!" The voice calling out to to wait made Tony close his eyes and sigh heavily. Just what he needed, not only had the morning been hell to start with, but now it would be made worse by having to ride up to the elevator with Ziva of all people. The woman who had just gotten engaged to the man he was hopelessly in love with.

Yeah it was shaping up to be one hell of a day.

None the less, he held the doors open so she could slip between them, even if he might have gotten some kind of petty satisfaction out of letting the doors close in her face. Oh well, maybe next time.

"How are you this fine morning?" The cheery question and the obvious happiness radiating from the other agent made Tony rethink his decision to hold the elevator for her.

"Well don't know about the fine part since it's been raining all morning, but if you like that sort of thing-" He was in no mood for pleasantries and he was too tired to come up with a good response anyhow, so he trailed off his answer and offered the woman a fake smile before turning to face the doors of the elevator.

The silence that answered him was not totally unexpected, the hand that reached past him to press the emergency stop button however was.

As the elevator shuddered to a stop and the emergency lighting kicked in, Tony turned to his team mate with an raised eyebrow.

"I need to talk to you before we go up to the office." She explained, waiving her hand as if that would somehow clarify her meaning.

"Well I'm all ears" Tony leaned to rest some of his weight on the wall of the small metal box he found himself somewhat trapped in, and tried to seem nonchalant.

From the way her lips twitched he knew it was a lost effort, but it did make him feel more in control of the situation so he kept the stance and crossed his arms over his chest for good measure.

"About what I told you last night." He didn't let himself show any outward reaction to her words but his mind started immediately working overtime and a hope of it all having been a mistake filled his mind.

She took a deep breath before continuing. "I know it was inconsiderate of me to tell you the way I did and I am sorry for that, but I seemed to have been lifted away in my excitement. " He didn't let his shoulders slump in defeat like he wanted and he berated himself for being such a fool and wishing something that would hurt his friend. He shook his head to rid his mind of the thoughts and let the corner of his mouth lift the tiniest bit at her mixing her English again, but refrained from correcting her.

"I also need to ask for your discretion. Jethro did not want me to tell anyone yet as he is a traditional man who wants to do things in a certain way." When Tony remained silent as he tried to push down emotions her use of Gibbs' first name had caused in him, she took it as a sign that she needed to justify the secrecy. "It is not that we plan to keep this a secret, but he does want to have a proper party where he will announce our plans for marriage, he wants to have the date and everything agreed before that." She was again waving her hand in the air to further illustrate her point.

Tony swallowed hard and pushed all unwanted emotions down before stepping forward and taking hold of one of her flailing hands. He brought the hand up to his lips and closed his eyes for a brief moment before looking at Ziva. "I understand." He let go of her hand, only to have her grab it in her own.

"So you will hang low for us?" She looked up at him intently and her eyes narrowed as he let out a sound that was somewhere between a cough and a chuckle.

"Lay Ziva. Lay low. Hanging is for something totally different." There was a smile playing at his lips, even if it was nothing like his usual bright grins. "And yeah, my lips are sealed."

She offered him a grateful smile while letting go of his hand.

"Thank you." With that she restarted the elevator and they only had to wait for a minute before it arrived to it's destination and the agents stepped into the brightly painted bull pen.

Both were the picture of professionalism as they arrived to their section of the office where they could already see Gibbs sitting at his desk.

The way the team leader looked at them _at Ziva _as they rounded the corner made Tony's heart ache as it skipped a beat. Luckily for him the moment was interrupted by McGee bustling into the bullpen and rushing past the two agents still standing between their desks.

"Sorry Boss, The elevator wasn't working so I had to take the stairs and-"

Tony tuned out the younger man's explanations as he checked the time and realized that indeed even he and Ziva had been a few minutes late.

"Save it McGee." Gibbs barked. "Got a call from Baltimore PD, they caught our perp and are holding onto him for us. I need you and DiNozzo to head out to get him."

Both men nodded at the order and picked their gear before making their way to the elevator, already bickering over who gets to drive.

"What have you planned for me, Boss?" The seductive purr that could be heard coming from their female team mate caused Tony to hurry his steps and he let out a sigh of relief as they got into the elevator and the doors closed, blocking the response from their boss.

Tony closed his eyes and rested his head tiredly against the back of the elevator. He could feel McGee looking at him and he opened his eyes only to be met with the sympathetic gaze of the other agent. He groaned as he thought about the long way to Baltimore and all the failed attempt from McGee to get him open up about how he was doing that he'd managed to block until now.

He really should have called in sick.

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

Tony rested his head against the cool window and tried to keep from sighing as he could practically hear McGee's mind working on how to jump start the conversation he was sure the younger man thought they needed to have.

"Tony, are you really sleeping?"

Might as well get it over with seeing as his 'put McGee to drive and fake sleep'- plan wasn't working the way he hoped. He let out the heavy sigh he had been holding before opening his eyes and raising his head to look at the other agent.

"What do you think McSherlock?"

He felt kind of bad for the way Tim seemed to flinch as if he'd just slapped him, but on the other hand it served him right for ruining his master plan.

"Well obviously you weren't sleeping, just thought I'd give you the out."

And just like that Tony felt bad all over again, before the feeling was overridden by the feeling of stupidity at exposing himself when he could have kept up the act.

"Yeah, well my cover's blown now." He rubbed a tired hand over his face and from the corner of his eye he could see the sympathy on McGee's face.

There was a momentary pause as Tim tried to figure out what to say, before he just blurted out

"I- we're worried about you." He knew it was the wrong thing to say from the way Tony straightened and his shoulders seemed to tense.

"And who might 'we' be?" Tony asked in a clipped tone.

"Well Me, Abby and Ducky and Gibbs-" At the last name on the list Tony couldn't help the snort that escaped his lips.

"Yeah, Think He's too busy wooing the newest Mrs. Gibbs candidate to even think about me." The words were meant to be said in an indifferent tone but instead the hurt and defeat could be heard so clearly that it made Tim frown.

"I don't think-" Tim started but was cut off by Tony who put a hand on his arm to halt get his attention.

"Don't-" And as he risked a glance at the older man, Tim could see his whole body telegraph a very clear message of _Don't go there_. Wisely he let that particular matter drop, but he knew he'd have to talk to Tony eventually about the fact that Gibbs really did care as the other man seemed to have missed all the times the lead agent threw his concerned glances his way during the past few months. Gibbs had even tried to approach Tony about what was wrong with him, but every time he tried, Ziva would interrupt and redirect Gibbs' attention to her.

But right now wasn't the time to try and convince Tony of that.

"Are you thinking of leaving?" Abby had brought that possibility to Tim's attention and the way Tony seemed surprised by the question, but didn't deny it made Tim's gut clench at the thought that Abby was right to be worried.

McGee pulled up at the side of the road so they could have this conversation face to face.

"Why?"

The question was met by a humorless laugh by Tony and a pair of anguished hazel eyes locking with his own.

"Why? You really need to ask that?" Tony shook his head before settling against the back rest and looking out of the front window.

"I can't keep doing this Tim. I can handle him being with someone else, I can be happy for him, but I can't keep having it thrown at my face every-fucking-day that I will never have the man I love. " He cringed as he realized he'd said too much and sure enough he could hear the sharp intake of breath coming from his left.

Tony took a deep breath and did his best to compose himself so he wouldn't embarrass himself any further.

"Tony-" Tim tried to wrap his head around the fact that the older man had just confessed to being in love with their boss. He'd known there were some pretty strong feelings there, but to actually hear Tony call it love- Well he sure hadn't expected that.

"It's okay McAwkward, lets just get to Baltimore before Gibbs notices were slacking off."

Tony gave Tim a weak smile that was supposed to be reassuring, before letting his head drop against the headrest and closing his eyes, effectively letting Tim know he was done with the conversation.

And this time McGee let him be.

When they got back to the NCIS with their perp in tow, it was already late in the evening since they'd had to stay in Baltimore to sort out a mountain of paperwork before they were allowed anywhere with their guy.

Gibbs was waiting for the two agents in the bullpen when they arrived after escorting the perp to the holding cells. Tony couldn't see Ziva or her stuff so he assumed that she'd been sent home already.

Usually the fact that Gibbs had stayed to wait for them would have made his belly flutter by the show of caring, but right now he couldn't help but think how pissed the older man must be to have been kept at work when his fiancee was waiting for him at home.

"Everything go okay?" Gibbs asked the two agents, causing Tony to blink tiredly as his exhausted mind tried to wrap itself around the fact that the older man didn't sound annoyed. He shrugged his shoulders mentally as McGee answered the question, although Tony was too tired to pay attention to what that answer entailed.

Apparently whatever the other agent said was enough to satisfy their boss as the man just nodded his head and told them to go home and get some rest.

McGee said his good nights and in less than a minute he was already getting in the elevator and heading out.

Tony just shook his head at the hurry Tim showed and more sedately gathered his own gear.

"Night Boss" Tony called over his shoulder as he made his way over to the elevator and once it arrived, he stepped in and let himself relax.

He closed his eyes and stretched his arms over his head a satisfying pop sounding from his back. He hadn't noticed that he wasn't the only one in the elevator until the car came to shuddering halt and the lights flickered before switching to the emergency mode.

Tony spun around quickly only to freeze as he caught sight of his boss standing right in front of him.

"Um, Boss?" He watched as Gibbs ran his eyes over his face before settling so that their eyes were locked together.

"Needed to talk to you in private."

Tony hoped the ground would open and swallow him and he almost banged his head against the wall in frustration. Obviously Ziva had told her fiance that she'd spilled the beans and now Gibbs was worried that he would talk.

He was berating himself for thinking that the concern he saw in Gibbs' eyes could be directed at him and he tried to hide the hurt at knowing the older man obviously didn't trust him to keep a secret.

"Look I'm tired and Ziva already swore me to secrecy so can we just skip this whole thing."

Gibbs raised his eyebrow at that, he was even more worried now that he could really see how dark the circles under Tony's eyes had gotten and how his clothes seemed to hang off his frame, the desperation in the younger man's eyes as he pleaded with him also gave him pause. And what the hell had Ziva got to do with this?

"I just wanted to know if you're feeling alright Tony. You haven't exactly been yourself lately and You obviously haven't been sleeping well. What's up with you?" For the first time in a long while Tony started to really hope that maybe Gibbs really did care, even if it wasn't the way he wanted. But the next words out of the older man's mouth made his heart harden and he again berated his own stupidity. "And what exactly did she swore you to secrecy about?"

Tony couldn't take it anymore and he stepped closer to the other man so their noses were practically touching and he dabbed a vicious finger into the ex-marine's chest.

"You really don't give a damn do you? You only want to make sure I won't spill the beans before you two are ready to have your big party to announce it properly. Fuck you Gibbs, and you won't have to worry about me telling anyone about your plans of marrying Ziva. Congratulations about that by the way. Now If were done here I'm sure your _wife_ will be waiting for you at home and I have an resignation to write!"

The anger suddenly drained from him leaving Tony emotionally spent as well as physically exhausted as he took a step back. "Please Gibbs, I can't do this anymore."

Gibbs was shocked by the outburst and as soon as he saw Tony's anger die and heard the pleading words from the other man, he saw the effort it was taking from him just to stay standing so he stepped forward and pulled the exhausted man into his arms into a tight hug.

"What on earth are you talking about Tony?" He whispered into the younger man's ear as he felt the tremors coursing through his body. Jethro was at a loss as to how to help the man in his arms who clearly had no idea how much he meant to him.

"I know you love her and Ziva told me about the proposal and I promised her not to tell anyone. Why couldn't you trust me?" The words held so much pain that Gibbs felt his own heart clench and he pulled back a bit and used one of his hands to tilt the younger man's face up so he was looking at the younger man's face even if the Italian was avoiding making eye contact.

"Tony, I don't want you to leave NCIS, I need you right here with me and I do trust you Tony, there's no one I trust more." He took a deep breath before continuing with the thing that had him puzzled more than anything. "And yes me and Ziva are seeing each other like we told you guys, but there must be some kind of misunderstanding since I have not, nor am I planning to, propose to her. I have no idea where you could have gotten the idea that I even want to marry her."

Tony looked up sharply at the last comment and his wide hazel eyes met the honest blue eyes of Jethro. He could feel his head start to spin as he tried to make sense of what he had just been told.

Tony's legs buckled as his mind shut down as the new piece of information was just too much for his tired mind to comprehend and his exhausted body slid from Gibbs' grasp to rest in a heap on the dirty floor of the elevator.

TBC...

_**A/N: Okay so what did ya think? Poor Tony for having a break down... I really need to be nicer to the guy. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, the comments always make me smile and I really need the smiles right now.**_

_**Oh and the next chapter will be up on Friday evening. **_


	4. Chapter 4

Gibbs stood frozen for a second before his brain registered what had happened and he jumped into action.

In less than a second he was kneeling next to his fallen agent and was pulling the limp body to his arms.

"DiNozzo? Can you hear me?" He slapped one pale cheek lightly and was rewarded with a groan and uncoordinated attempt from the man in his arms to slap the hand away.

"Open your eyes Tony." Gibbs put a note of steel into the command and he grinned when the brown eyes opened to slits and looked up at him.

"That's it Tony, how are you feeling?"

"Confused" The younger man answered honestly before his eyes widened and his body tensed as recollection returned and he realized that he'd passed out.

Gibbs saw the change in the younger man's demeanor and let out a frustrated breath. He needed to get the younger man off the cold elevator floor and move this conversation to somewhere more comfortable.

"You okay to stand up?"

At the question Tony really took in his surroundings and he felt embarrassment at having fainted before a more pleasant feeling filled his mind as he realized that there were arms holding him up. _Gibbs' arms_, wrapped around his torso.

The feeling was so nice that Tony just let his body relax and enjoyed the feeling of being safely wrapped in the warm embrace.

He must have dozed as he was next aware of a voice calling his name and there was a sense of urgency in the tone.

"'m up" he mumbled to the owner of the loud voice.

"Good, because I was ten seconds from calling Ducky back to work to check on you. And I am not going to carry you out of here." Gibbs' voice was gruff, but inside he was sighing with relief. He had been worried sick when the younger man just continued to lean on him with his eyes closed for a while as he tried to rouse him. Maybe he really should get Ducky to come back.

Though the words alone seemed to have gotten some life back to the Italian as the mere mentioning of the ME's name caused him to pull back slightly and lock clear brown eyes with Gibbs' blue counterparts.

"You don't need to do that Boss, I'm fine." To illustrate his point, the younger man regretfully pulled back completely from the warm arms and slowly stood up with minimal swaying. The fact that he used the wall as a support both getting to his feet and staying on them, well that fell under the heading of semantics.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at him and Tony really should have known he was the kind of guy to appreciate those pesky semantics.

The older man shook his head at the stubborn agent but decided to let it go. It didn't make much difference anyway if he called Ducky, the ME would just take Tony's temperature and blood pressure, then get him to eat something to get his sugar levels up and then put him to bed. And Gibbs was more than capable of handling all of the above, and as it were, he wasn't going to let Tony out of his sight until he was sure there was nothing more sinister going on with his agent's health.

The fact that he got to spent some more time with the other agent was just an added bonus. Even if it was that the younger man only saw him as a boss and a friend. The little part of his mind that had been screaming at him more and more lately told him that maybe there would be a chance to hold the younger man again soon.

Turned out, that opportunity presented itself sooner than the voice could have predicted.

As the elevator set to motion again and a second later it's doors opened with a ding, Gibbs motioned for Tony to precede him out.

DiNozzo just huffed a slightly annoyed breath and with the wall steadying him, he made his way to the doors. He looked out at the garage and realized that in order to get to his car he'd have to let go of the elevator wall.

He swallowed hard and tried to steady his spinning head and rubbery legs and took a step out of the elevator.

Luckily Gibbs had been watching him like a hawk and as soon as he saw what was about to happen, stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the other man just as his legs seemed to disappear from under him.

"Still insist you're fine?" There wasn't any humor in the tone but Tony was sure if he'd bother to look, there would be a twinkle of amusement in the blue eyes.

Tony didn't answer, he didn't need to since the embarrassed groan probably told Gibbs all he needed to know.

"That's what I thought. Just lean on me DiNozzo." with that Gibbs adjusted his grip so that he had one arm wrapped around the younger man's waist and the other pulled Tony's arm to rest across his shoulders.

He lead the younger man towards his car and it took a while for it to register to Tony that his car was in the other direction.

"Hey, My car's over there." He pointed out to where he'd left his beloved ride, but Gibbs showed no sign of turning to that direction or letting him go so he'd get there by himself. Not that he'd probably get there since his Blood sugar levels were probably somewhere in the basement after not eating properly for weeks and not eating at all for- well it doesn't really matter when he last managed to eat and keep it down.

The snort coming from the man who had assigned himself as his personal walking aid, brought Tony's musings to a stop and he redirected his attention to the ex-marine hauling him towards the car.

"If you really think I'm gonna let you drive when you can't even stand, you really must be sicker than you look."

Tony furrowed his brow at that. Gibbs thought he was sick? Well he was kinda lovesick but that sounded pathetic and girly and he really really didn't want to sound pathetic when he was feeling like that already. And maybe he should stop his mind from wandering and try to stick to here and now. Though then he'd probably end up thinking the revelation from Gibbs and he really wasn't up to it at the moment so.

"When was the last time you ate Tony?" Tony looked at Gibbs and frowned as the older man seemed kinda upset at not having asked that earlier, but DiNozzo would have preferred the question to remain unasked.

But since he did ask, he decided to give the answer that had satisfied his own mind just a few minutes earlier.

As they reached the car and Gibbs unlocked the doors and helped Tony to get settled in the passengers seat, Tony finally gave his answer. "Doesn't really matter."

From the look in the blue eyes that snapped sharply to regard his own brown ones, the Italian gathered that Gibbs might not be as satisfied with the answer as he himself had been.

It was the damn semantics again.

TBC...

_**A/N: Okay so I'm not really happy how that turned out, but I did have fun writing it :D Though again it took three rewrites to get this into a postable condition so there were some very very weird stuff there at times... ;) Okay anyways, I promise there will be more interesting stuff in the next chapter and I have been writing kinda tony- centricly and kinda from his POV, but The next chapter will reveal what Gibbs really thinks of all of this, so stay tuned :) **_

_**The next chapter will be up most likely Sunday evening/night. **_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Hiya! So here's chapter 5 for your enjoyment ;D Thank you again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and also thank you to all you wonderful anonymous reviewers who I couldn't thank via PM, You guys are all really awesome! Hope you like this chapter and I'm not sure if the next chapter will be up already tomorrow evening or if it'll be Tuesday before I can get it in posting condition, it depends on my muse (who lives on reviews ;D Sorry I couldn't resist.) I'll just shut up now and let you get on with the ficcie :D **_

Gibbs clenched and unclenched his hands to keep them from gripping the steering wheel harder than necessary.

He glanced at the man who was dozing in the seat next to him and let out a deep uneven breath as he again clenched his hands enough to make his knuckles turn white, mostly to keep himself from reaching out and taking Tony's hand in his to reassure the younger man.

He knew that there was something deeply troubling the dozing man, but for the life of him he couldn't understand what it was. The answer he'd gotten from the younger man when he asked when he'd eaten last troubled him deeply _Doesn't really matter. _Tony should really know better than that, it _did_ matter because it was Tony and _Tony_ mattered to him. And he had no idea what Tony had meant as he mumbled something about semantics.

Gibbs was confused. And being confused made him angry because confusion meant that there were things he didn't understand and when it came to the people he cared about, he hated not understanding what was going on with them.

Deciding to approach the situation like any investigation he went through the facts in his head.

Fact one: he and Ziva were seeing each other.

That one still puzzled him somewhat, when he and Ziva had ended up in bed together after a particularly difficult case he didn't think it was more than a one night stand to relieve some pressure. Ziva had surprised him by wanting a real relationship. Even so, he didn't really think that the thing would last, but somehow the young woman had convinced him to announce their relationship to their co-workers. That had been a mistake since the woman obviously took that as a sign that it was okay to flirt outrageously with him at work and he often had to rein her in in private.

And that leads to fact two: Tony was okay with the relationship.

After the announcement Gibbs had been watching his teams reactions like a hawk and he'd seen the shock on everyone's face when they heard he was seeing Ziva and for a reason he couldn't phantom, Ducky, Abby and McGee and hell even Ziva had turned their heads slightly to look discreetly at Tony, who had seemed frozen after the announcement. Only after the younger man had snapped out of his shock and stepped up to congratulate them had all the others moved and done the same.

DiNozzo had seemed a bit pale and sad for some reason so Gibbs had kept a close eye on him for a few days, but the young man seemed to take the news well after his initial surprise. Hell, Tony had been his biggest support during this all which had surprised and disappointed Jethro more than he was willing to admit. The younger man had been nothing but supportive and encouraging the whole time and had even helped to give Gibbs an alibi when he needed time to work on a surprise for Ziva on her birthday.

So DiNozzo was okay with the relationship.

Gibbs again glanced at his passenger as if afraid he might hear his next thoughts and upon finding him with his eyes still closed he went on with his list.

Fact three: He was attracted to Tony.

He had been attracted to the younger man for a while but it wasn't like there could ever be anything between them so he kept the feelings to himself. He had tried to tell himself it was just because of rule twelve, but that excuse had been thrown out of the window when he'd slept with Ziva. The real reason that nothing would ever happen was that he was sure Tony didn't feel the same way about him.

So that little piece of information would be irrelevant in trying to figure out what was going on with Tony, but being a good investigator he was nothing if not throughout. And when he wasn't really sure about much, he couldn't discount anything.

Fact four: Something was wrong with Tony.

That one he didn't need a doctor's degree to see. The younger man was paler, more subdued, he obviously wasn't sleeping well and had lost weight which proved that he wasn't taking care of himself. That's what had led Gibbs to believe that at least part of the reason he passed out in the elevator was the fact that he hadn't been eating for a while. And the answer he'd gotten when he'd asked about it from the younger man was informative enough.

What he didn't know was the cause for the changes in the younger man. He did know whatever it was had been brewing for months now, but he couldn't pinpoint the exact time when it all started.

Fact five: Tony thought he and Ziva were seriously committed to each other. And that went hand in hand with fact six: Tony thought he'd proposed to her.

The mere idea of him having proposed to Ziva was ridiculous. He'd been married enough times to not take that step easily again. And where on earth would have he gotten that idea anyhow?

He went over the things said in the elevator and his eyes widened slightly as he realized what exactly Tony had said.

"_I know you love her and Ziva told me about the proposal and I promised her not to tell anyone. Why couldn't you trust me?"_

As the meaning of those words registered he had to keep himself from pressing the gas pedal down harder and turning the car to head to her apartment to demand an explanation.

Ziva had told Tony he'd proposed to her and then made DiNozzo think it was a secret so Gibbs wouldn't find out about the lie. And there was no doubt in Jethro's mind that Tony was telling the truth since he trusted the young man more than anyone else. Furthermore the way the younger man had told him about Ziva's words made it clear that there was no way it was a misunderstanding, she had deliberately deceived him. Now why the hell would she lie about something like that?

Gibbs had never been happier to pull up into his drive way than he was at the moment the gravel crunched under the car's tires. He would have been liable to cause an accident driving in the mental state he was in.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before doing it again and concentrating on calming down.

So he now had most of the pieces, but he couldn't help but feel there was still some major part missing that would solve the whole puzzle.

He again looked at his still sleeping passenger and frowned as he once more saw the signs how bad the younger man had been feeling. But why? Why was Tony feeling so- so... he struggled for a word to describe it and once he thought back to the younger man's reaction in the elevator it really hit him: _desperate, defeated. _

It couldn't be just the thought of Ziva and him getting married since that wouldn't fit with the facts, nor could it only be the trust issue Tony had brought out since that didn't seem to fit the bill either. It must be something that ran deeper, that really had Tony rattled and so very near to his breaking point. And it had been going on for a while. Hell it must be bad for Tony to plan resigning. And Gibbs couldn't help but wonder if Ziva had something else to do with the younger man getting so wrung out.

Gibbs growled in frustration as he wondered for what seemed like the millionth time, what the hell was _it _that was causing all of this_. _

Turns out that even if the car stopping hadn't been enough to wake the younger man, hearing his boss growl like an angry dog was enough to rouse him.

"Boss? What's wrong?" Bleary eyes regarded the older man carefully before Gibbs saw the confusion sharpen the gaze as Tony looked around.

"And how did we end up here?"

Gibbs almost smiled at the suspicious and puzzled question, did the younger man really think he'd end up anywhere else for the night?

"Well I drove us here." He answered curtly as he got out of the car and rounded the car to open the door to his agent who was looking at him as if he'd lost his mind.

"But Boss- I mean what about Ziva? Isn't she waiting for you and- I mean it isn't really any of my business but I don't really want to be the third wheel-" The nervous rambling might have been amusing if it wasn't for the slightly fearful look in the younger man's eyes

It was also that look that made Gibbs gentle down the usual head slap to a mere tap to the top of Tony's head but it still did the trick as the agent stopped talking and got out of the car.

Gibbs was pleased to note that he didn't look quite as ready to pass out, but he was still slightly unsteady so he took his position as a human walking aid and led the reluctant man inside.

"There's no one here but you and me, so you can relax. I have no idea where Ziva is right now, nor do I really care."

Tony chose to not comment on the last statement but just let Gibbs lead him into the house where he was first deposited in the kitchen and Gibbs rummaged through the fridge while Tony sat at the table nervously wringing his hands.

A moment later a carton of juice was placed in front of him with a glass and a terse order to drink.

"Ah Boss, I don' really-" The words were cut off by a glare.

"You will drink that while I make us something to eat, I will not have you pass out again because your sugars are low."

Gibbs watched him like a hawk until Tony filled the glass and took a drink of the juice. Nodding in satisfaction the older man started to prepare them something light to eat.

There was silence all the while the two men ate only broken by the ringing of Gibbs' cell, but once he saw that it was Ziva he pressed ignore and the silence continued. Once they were finished Gibbs put the dishes into the sink to be dealt with later. He wasn't really satisfied with the amount of food his guest had consumed, but the man had made an effort so he hadn't pushed.

Once the table was cleared and Jethro was satisfied that the younger man had gotten enough energy to not risk passing out, he filled a cup from his faithful coffee maker he'd loaded while cooking, and motioned for Tony to follow him into the living room.

Once there he sat on the sofa and when the younger man hesitated at the doorway, he raised an eyebrow and indicated for him to take a seat next to him.

There was silence for a few more minutes before Tony couldn't take it anymore.

"Look Boss. Thanks for the dinner and all but I'm sure you want to get me out of your hair so I'll just call a cab and we'll agree this day never happened."

Gibbs couldn't read the look in the Italian's eyes but as he shook his head slowly he saw a flicker of uncertainty and apprehension pass over them.

"You're not going anywhere tonight other than the guestroom. You don't need to be alone after what happened today. And pretending it never happened won't help either so you might as well accept that it did."

He saw the crestfallen look in the younger man and he couldn't help but wish to be able to pull the man in his arms and wipe it away. Maybe kiss it all better.

Gibbs shook his head to rid himself of the thought and as he looked at his agent again he could see that he was shaking slightly and appeared to be fighting to keep a control on his emotions.

Seeing the younger man's struggle Gibbs couldn't help but give into the temptation to comfort the man in the only way he knew and so he slid closer and wrapped his arms around the shaking man.

He savored the feel of the man in his arms and he would have gladly had the moment stretch and it might have lasted longer, had Ziva not chosen that moment to storm into the house and the living room.

She seemed to take in sight of the two men sitting together on the couch with Gibbs' arms still around Tony and the look in her eyes told Jethro that this wasn't going to end well.

TBC...


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Okay so here's the chap you've all been waiting for. Hope I did okay :) Thank you again to everyone who reviewed and holy smokes I continue to be overwhelmed by the wonderful reviews and their amount. I can't help but smile when I read them so thanks for the smiles :) Not sure how many more chapters there'll be after this one, I'd imagine at least two or three more. The next chapter probably won't be up until Wednesday evening/night. **_

_**Anyways I hope you all enjoy and Just to be on the safe side ...*hides under the bed* **_

Tony heard the sound of the door slamming and the hurried footsteps approaching their location. He didn't have time to extract himself from Gibbs' comforting embrace before an angry voice sounded from the doorway.

"How dare you!" Tony turned his head so that his face left the safety of Gibbs' shoulder and as he looked at Ziva standing just a short distance away he realized that her words weren't directed at the older man or himself but she was addressing the both of them.

"What?" Tony asked in a confused tone as he really wasn't sure what she was talking about, and to be fair it had been _her_ that lied to _him_ about the proposal and all that and who had made him feel like shit for the past four months by parading her place in Gibbs' life right before his nose, so it should be him demanding an explanation from her not the other way around.

But he wasn't angry at her, he was more disappointed with himself for being such a idiot that he let her get to him like that.

"I cannot believe that you would throw yourself like that to a man who is involved with someone and that you Jethro would cheat on me with such a male slut!" She was pacing the length of the room as she once more waived her arms widely and the disgust was easy to hear in her tone.

Gibbs didn't want the conversation to go on any further, he knew he really wasn't willing to deal with Ziva right at the moment and god knew Tony wasn't up to handling the accusations the woman threw his way. The look in the younger man's face told him he had to put a stop to this. Now.

"Ziva." He tried to stop her tirade but she refused to be interrupted.

"And you did not answer your phone. That is one of your rules is it not? Never be unreachable, and you did not answer just because that little-"

"That's enough!" Gibbs barked as he stood up from his position on the couch and moved to stand in front of the angry Israeli woman, blocking her path and forcing her to stop the pacing so the two stood face to face by the living room doorway.

"You have no right to talk to me or to Tony like that. And you especially have no right after you told Tony I had proposed to you. I have tolerated your over flirty behavior at work and kept the reprimands between us and I have tolerated a lot more from you but I won't tolerate you lying and I will not let you walk into my house and insult me and my guest."

"So he is your guest?" She was shocked and pissed that Gibbs knew about the lie she'd told Tony but she was determined to turn this conversation into her favor. "I am your lover so does that not mean more than a mere guest?"

She almost smirked as she caught a glimpse of the shocked look in Tony's eyes. Oh yeah, she could salvage this.

"How about we kick the spare wheel out and I will show you how sorry I am about the misunderstanding about the proposal? I really did think you wanted to talk about marriage and I may have jumped the gun a bit." She pressed her body closer to his and licked her lips before moving so that their lips were almost touching.

Tony had been watching the events unfold but as it looked like Gibbs was swaying under Ziva's seduction, he decided to make himself scarce. He stood up and quickly tried to slip past the two people standing by the door way and he cringed as Ziva threw him a look of victory as he neared them.

He was almost out of the room when a hand on his arm stopped him with a firm grip.

"No." Gibbs stepped away from the attractive woman and pulled Tony to stand beside him.

"You knew full well what you were doing when you told Tony about our plans to get married. Now what the hell are you playing at?"

Gibbs stared at Ziva until he felt Tony wavering beside him. He looked at the younger man who had seemed to lost all his color during the little display Ziva had put and he was again looking as bad as he had before dinner.

"Tony, Are you okay?" He raised a hand to cup Tony's cheek and felt worried by the way he tiredly leaned into the touch as his body swayed.

"Lets get you lying down." He turned to guide Tony back to the couch but was stopped when Ziva grabbed Tony's arm.

"Stop your act Tony" She hissed angrily. "I will not fall for your little damsel in distress- act and neither will Jethro. You will not get him like this, I have worked too hard to get him for you to snatch him away from me."

Gibbs was angry at the woman for keeping Tony from getting of his feet and getting some rest. Couldn't she see how badly off he was?

Tony on the other hand looked shocked before understanding dawned.

"Is that what you rubbing my face into your relationship was about? Getting me to give up hope and maybe even leave so you could have him all to yourself? And the lie about the proposal was supposed to be the final thing that would get me packing?" He rubbed his forehead as he tried to wrap his mind around how far the woman was willing to go to have Gibbs to herself.

Jethro's eyes hardened as he realized what Tony was implying. Ziva was jealous? This was all because she thought Tony had feelings for him and that he might be a threat to their relationship. Gibbs was sure Ziva didn't know he had those kind of feelings for Tony and since Tony was as straight as they came he couldn't figure out where she'd gotten her ideas.

"I know how you feel- " Ziva started as she tightened her grip on Tony's arm enough to make the man wince, but her words were cut off by Tony's tired voice.

"You should also know Gibbs doesn't feel that way about me. " As if saying the words aloud had weighed Tony down, his exhausted body started to sag slightly, only keeping up because of the support lend by Gibbs.

Jethro made sure that the bruising grip Ziva had had on Tony's arm was gone before helping the younger man on the couch and getting him to lie down.

He ran a hand through Tony's hair before straightening and turning back to the woman looking angrily at them.

"So the lie was all about some misguided idea that you should be jealous?" Gibbs demanded from his soon to be ex-lover. He wanted to get to the bottom of the issue with Ziva so that she would leave and Tony could get some much needed rest.

"Misguided?" The sneer on Ziva's face made her beautiful featured turn twisted and Gibbs wondered how he ever fell even slightly for her.

"It is not a secret that Tony has the hots for you. Even Abby, McGee and Ducky know about his sick obsession with you and how he wants to bend over for you like the little whore he is."

That was the piece of the puzzle he had been missing. Tony had feelings for him and that's why everything Ziva did hit him so hard.

Gibbs' epiphany was short lived though as Ziva continued to spew hateful words and disgusting names at Tony.

"Even if that's true, why would you think he had any chance with me."

From the corner of his eye he saw the devastated look in Tony's eyes and he almost head slapped himself for the way that had came out.

"You do not remember do you?" Ziva said, the anger draining from her features, leaving her looking lost and even a bit hurt.

"Remember what?" Gibbs demanded, the situation was frustrating him and he hated that he felt like walking on a mine field where one wrong step would have devastating results.

"The first night we were together and we had sex. It was not my name on your lips that night, but Tony's" The last words were a mere whisper and Ziva closed her eyes as she remembered the sadness at hearing the name pass Gibbs' lips and the determination it had sparked to be the one who Jethro would choose.

Gibbs hung his head slightly, he had hoped she hadn't noticed his lapse in control and the whisper of Tony's name that had escaped him. Obviously he should have known better and maybe things wouldn't have gotten so out of hand.

Tony listened to the words in stunned silence. He was on an emotional roller coaster that seemed to be going on and on and never letting him off. First to think Gibbs doesn't even care about him and then having the older man practically confirm it and then throw in the fact that Gibbs had said his name in the heat of passion? How the hell was he supposed to interpret that?

Gibbs looked with fury in his eyes as he thought of how Ziva had manipulated him even when she knew he had feelings for Tony and that evidently Tony shared those feelings. The sadness in Ziva's eyes was almost enough to make some of the anger die down.

Almost.

"So you planned the announcement of our relationship, the flirting, the lies just for what- to get rid of competition?" He asked incredulously. "You wanted him to up and leave and you nearly killed him in the process!"

"Gibbs- " Tony tried to intervene from where he was now sitting on the edge of the couch, but Gibbs just waived him off.

"Have you seen what this is doing to him? He's so run down he fucking _collapsed _in the elevator today! It's a freaking miracle he hasn't gotten really sick. Or was that part of your little plan? Make him unable to continue as a field agent so we wouldn't be able to work together? "

Ziva looked stunned and for the first time she really took a look at Tony and upon seeing just how bad he looked she felt some remorse for her actions. It was like a switch had been turned and she realized how crazy she'd gotten in her battle for Gibbs' affection. Her face showed her how horrified she was at the idea that she might have ended up seriously hurting Tony, and as she looked at the Italian who was rubbing the arm she had grabbed she realized with a start that she really had hurt him. Physically and emotionally.

"I would not do that! I did not think- " She stuttered but her excuses were cut off short.

"Damn right you didn't." Jethro could see how shaken she was by the realization of how out of control she had gotten, but he wasn't going to let her off so easily.

"I want you to know that our relationship is officially over."

She nodded her head, resigned to her faith. "What about work, do I still have a place in the team?"

"Do you think you even want to keep working with me and Tony? What if we were to pursue our feelings for each other."

Tony looked sharply at Gibbs at the words, was he really suggesting that there was a possibility-

"I do not know." Ziva answered honestly as she looked at the older man.

Gibbs nodded at the confirmation of what he'd suspected. "I won't make any decisions yet, but no matter what happens there will be repercussions for your actions. This is about our personal life but it was you who brought all of this to the workplace so I your punishment will extend to your job and there will at least be a reprimand in your file for inappropriate office behavior.. You will have to earn back the trust you lost with your actions and I can assure you that will not be an easy task especially once Abby, Tim and Ducky finds out what you did to Tony. I also expect you to apologize to Tony for all the lies and for the way you hurt him with your actions and words. And God help me if I ever hear you call him a slut or anything like that again-"

He took a breath to calm himself. He wasn't really sure what he'd do if she ever said those things to Tony again, but seeing as he was willing to do just about anything to protect the young man that meant so much to him, it surely wouldn't be pretty.

Gibbs thought for a minute before he came to a decision. "I expect you and McGee to go to work tomorrow and interrogate the man he and Tony brought from Baltimore today. Then I want you to write your reports. DiNozzo will be taking the day off as sick leave and I'll stay home to make sure he rests. Since it's Friday tomorrow and we're not on call this weekend, I don't want to see you before Monday when we will discuss your future in my team."

Ziva nodded again and tried to hide the emotions in her dark eyes. She looked at Gibbs before turning her attention to Tony and making her way over to him.

"I am sorry for what I said to you and for what I have put you through. I do not know what went over me but I know that is not an excuse. All I can say is that I am sorry." She had really thought about it when Gibbs had asked if she wanted to work with them anymore and she realized how bad it really must have been for Tony to have her rub his face daily into the fact that Gibbs was with someone else. She had been blinded by her jealousy and treated the whole thing like a game, not really thinking of how this all would affect Tony.

She turned to walk away now that she'd said her piece even if she knew that it wouldn't be enough and there was a lot more she needed to say and do to make it up to them.

"Came" The quiet voice stopped her and she turned to look at Tony who was still sitting on the sofa but now had Gibbs' hand on his shoulder for support, emotional or physical, she wasn't sure.

"What?" She looked confused by the response from Tony.

"It's what came over you, not went. And I think I might know at least some of it." There was a sad little smile on the Italian's lips, but Ziva knew that this was Tony's way of telling her that even if she wasn't forgiven, there was hope for it in the future.

She nodded her head once more before leaving the house without looking back. Once she was sitting in her car and there was no one to see her she let herself shed a tear for everything she might have lost because of her irrational jealousy and madness. She wiped away the lone tear before starting the car.

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears but she didn't let them fall. They could wait until she got home.

TBC...

_***Peeks from under the bed* sooo, Okay? :D **_


	7. Chapter 7

Gibbs didn't know what to say as he stood by his senior agent and let his hand rest on the younger man's shoulder in silent support. After everything Ziva had said, he was sure the man needed it, but he felt Tony shrug the hand off before moving to lie down on the couch.

"I'm tired, I'm gonna get some sleep."

Gibbs just nodded at the words not wanting to push the man just now, besides sleep was something the younger man really needed so he went to the trunk in the corner and brought out a blanket and a pillow. The latter he handed to Tony and the blanket the draped over the Italian before standing by the sofa, desperately wanting to kiss the younger man good night now that he had an inkling that Tony might not be completely adverse to the idea, instead he bent down and placed the kiss on the man's forehead and wished him goodnight.

Tony closed his eyes at the gentle contact and listened as the older man left the room and locked the front door before his footsteps retreated downstairs into the basement and the soft sounds of him working on the boat reached Tony's ears.

He opened his eyes and noticed that Gibbs had killed the light from the room on his way out but the blinds were open so a gentle light streamed through the window and as his eyes adjusted to the low light, he could see the shadows and shapes of everything in the room.

He couldn't figure out what to think now that Ziva had left and things had calmed down somewhat, he wasn't really sure what to make of everything she'd revealed during the evening. Ziva was right, he was nothing but a pathetic piece of shit who would do anything for the man he was in love with. Hell she'd nailed him perfectly by saying he'd bend over for Gibbs like the whore he is.

_And now Gibbs knows. _

Tony suddenly felt like he was suffocating and he quickly sat up and turned to sit one the edge of the couch as he tried to calm his breathing that had sped up with the realization that his boss now knew just how screwed up he really was.

But hadn't Ziva said something about Gibbs sharing his feelings. The more he thought about it the more he convinced himself that it was just one more of her games, another way for Ziva to mess with his head, and he hated himself for believing in it even if it had been for only a short moment. He should have known better.

He ignored all the signs from Gibbs that might have hinted at him caring and feeling something for him, thinking he was trying to make something out of a big pile of nothing.

The fact that Gibbs seemed so mad at Ziva was probably just because she had lied and the bossman hated liars and being blindsided. Most likely none of it was for his benefit.

And maybe Gibbs hadn't really grasped the full meaning behind everything Ziva had said or had wrote it off as being said just in the heat of the moment, but once he realized what a freak Tony really was, he wouldn't spare a glance at him and he would be grateful for Ziva for almost getting rid of him.

After all why would Gibbs feel like that for him? He was a weak slut and from the moment he'd fell in love with Gibbs he'd promised himself it wouldn't affect his work and that the older man would never find out. Now the secret was out and to top it all off Tony had shown just how weak he is so that his boss had to drop everything to take care of him out of duty as his boss. So maybe Gibbs would be better off if he left, maybe when he realized that Ziva had been right he would forgive her for the lie and they would be happy together. And Gibbs wouldn't have to deal with all of the insecurity shit Tony carried with him. For god's sake Gibbs had to practically carry him out of work and feed him because he couldn't handle being rejected or seeing the man he loved be happy with someone who could give him everything he couldn't. How selfish did that make him?

Yeah, he had to go. It would break his heart and he hated the idea of leaving NCIS and his family there, but he needed to do it. And Ziva was right about the fact that Ducky, Abby and even McGee had noticed his pathetic behavior so they would all be happy too to get rid of him so they wouldn't have to deal with his hurt teenage girl- routine.

Besides he didn't think he could work with Ziva after everything so it was either he left or Ziva did, and he didn't want Gibbs to have to make the choice between them. Mostly because he didn't think he could handle that rejection as well. So he would leave them before they left him.

Tony pushed himself up from the couch, pleased to find that he wasn't as unsteady as his feet as he'd been earlier. He felt a headache building but ignored it, it wasn't anything he couldn't handle and right now he had things to do. First he'd have to get to NCIS to print out his resignation and then he'd have to get his stuff packed.

Leaving wouldn't be as easy this time as it had in the past, but he could do it. The thought that this would be better for Gibbs than him staying would provide him with the strength he needed.

He walked into the big kitchen and pressed the light switch and in a few seconds the room was flooded with light. He walked to the counter and found a pad of paper and a pen and wrote a small note to Gibbs.

_I'm sorry, Ziva was right about my feelings for you and everything. I didn't want you to know since I know you don't feel the same. I'll have my resignation to you ASAP. _

_I love you but I hope now you two can make up and be happy with me out of the way. _

_TD_

He let a tear slid from his eye as he attached the note to the door of the fridge before turning. His vision swam for a second after the quick turn but righted itself after a moment of swaying. He hoped he really wasn't getting sick after all this.

He quietly made his way outside before calling a cab to come pick him up from the end of the block. He hung up and took one last longing look at the house he'd left and whispered a soft goodbye before walking to the spot the cab would be in a few minutes.

TBC...

_**A/N: Okay so first of all I'm so sorry about not updating yesterday like I was supposed to, I wasn't feeling all too well and just couldn't get anything done . **_

_**And I know Tony's thoughts might not really make sense to some of you (I have to admit I'm getting confused trying to follow Tony's logic even though it did make sense when I wrote it... ), but just think If you'd be exhausted and it was late and you start thinking of these kind of things, how much sense would you make? **_

_**I'm going to try and get the next chapter up on Saturday evening/night at the latest and If I for whatever reason won't be able to meet that deadline, you have my permission to throw onions at me. (I really really hate onions...) **_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: See I was early so no need for the onions... The next chapter will be up during this weekend, so Sunday evening/night at the latest. I'm trying to get this fic written before Monday since then I start work at the hospital and I won't have as much time for writing as I have had this past weeks.**_

_**Oh and Let me know if there's anything hinky with the chapter since it's almost 1a.m and I really may not be firing with all cylinders right now but I decided to post this chapter now anyways because of all the lovely reviews you've left me and my tired mind was happy enough to post the chap and I really really hate onions so I thought better to post early than to risk it XD I'll shut up now ;) Enjoy!**_

When Gibbs went to his basement he picked up the sanding block and started up the motions of working on the boat on autopilot. He just ran the sander back and forth mindlessly and let the sounds and smells of his sanctuary calm the storm that was raging inside of him.

There were still some things he didn't quite understand, but everything Ziva had said had cleared some of his thoughts. He was surprised and elated by the thought that Tony might actually share the feelings he had for the younger man, even if he would have to talk to him to be sure.

That would also explain some of what had been going on with Tony lately. Gibbs was no fool, the mean words and everything Ziva had said and done to Tony that evening were most likely just the tip of an ice berg. The lie about the proposal was one thing he knew about, but there probably were a lot of smaller things she'd done during the past months to make him feel worse.

Gibbs strained his hearing when he heard movement upstairs but from the footsteps he gathered that it was just Tony getting up to get something to drink or to use the head so he continued the sanding as he let his mind drift once more.

His thoughts seemed to be going on in circles and the more he thought, the more he was convinced that he really needed to have a serious talk with Tony first thing in the morning.

Speaking of the younger man, Gibbs strained his hearing to catch any sign of him moving around again, but there was nothing. He looked at his watch and saw that it had been half an hour since he last heard any sounds from upstairs.

Deciding that the boat wasn't going to give him anymore answers that night, he put down the sanding block and slapped his hands together to rid them of the excess sawdust that had clung to his skin, before making his way to the stairs and ascending them.

Upon reaching the top, Gibbs' gut started churning as he realized how quiet the house was. He noticed the light in the kitchen but ignored it for the moment in favor of checking if Tony was sleeping on the couch and had left the light on for some reason.

He checked the living room but as he saw that it was empty he made his way to the kitchen where he took stock of the empty room and he ran a hand through his hair. He figured Tony must be in the bathroom and he was about to turn and go check it out, when he noticed a small piece of paper stuck on the refrigerator door. He made his way over and plucked the note off the door and read it carefully.

He reread the note for a second time and cursed vehemently as he pulled his cell from his pocket and hit the speed dial that corresponded with Tony's number. He paced the floor of the kitchen as he waited for the younger man to pick up, but when there was no answer he threw the phone to the kitchen table.

It had been half an hour since he heard any sound indicating the younger man was in the house so the Italian had an half an hour's head start at the most. The man didn't have his car with him as it was still as the headquarters so it was a safe bet that NCIS was the first place he would have gone to. Seeing that he had to call a cab or someone to drive him there, he would have just arrived at his destination so if Gibbs was fast enough he might still catch the younger man there.

He picked up his cell and keys before making his way to his car and heading the way he hoped Tony had gone.

He cursed himself again for not seeing how bad off the younger man had been mentally and he could have head slapped himself for leaving him alone to try and figure things out which most likely caused all Tony's insecurities to rear their ugly head.

Gibbs thought about how bad off the younger man really was and he sighed heavily as he decided to do what he knew he should have done the minute Tony had collapsed in the elevator earlier. With one had on the steering wheel he used the other to hit the speed dial two on his cell and brought the device to his ear. It only rang three times before the call connected.

"_Well Good evening Jethro, What can I do for you at this time of night?"_ Ducky's cultured voice reached his ears.

"Sorry to wake you Duck but I need your help. "

"_Oh nonsense my friend, I may be old but even a man of my age can enjoy the late night cinemas once in a while. As a matter of fact there is this rather delightful movie going on about the-"_

"Duck!" Gibbs interrupted the other ma before he could get too carried away.

"_Oh yes you said you need my help. Is this matter work related or personal, perhaps it may have something to do with you or the lovely Ms. David you've been courting?" _There was a note of disapproval in the tone that only now registered in Gibbs' mind even if it was the exact same tone the ME had used every time he had talked about his and Ziva's relationship.

"It's personal and no, I'm not 'courting' her anymore." He winched as he could almost feel the questions wanting to burst from his friend. He quickly summed up the days events, telling about the fact that Ziva had lied to Tony and that the younger man was in a bad way and had even collapsed at work. Once he'd started the flow of words he found himself ranting about the woman's actions and told Ducky everything she'd said in a barely controlled voice. "He left me a note about resigning" The rest of the note would stay between Tony and Gibbs, he'd revealed too much to the ME already.

Ducky had listened with quiet anger as Jethro told everything he'd learned about Ziva's betrayal and about how Tony had been. The stuff with Ziva could be dealt later, right now they would need to concentrate on finding Anthony since The ME hadn't liked one bit the things Jethro had said about the younger man's health.

"_Oh Jethro you have been a fool. But we shall talk about that later. I can not believe that you did not call me immediately after Anthony fainted at work! You should have known better Jethro, seeing as the lad obviously hasn't been taking care of himself properly I do fear that there might be something more wrong than just a case of low blood sugar and exhaustion. Listen carefully Jethro this is very important, did Anthony's condition improve at all during the evening? And did he suffer from any unusual symptoms?" _

Gibbs thought things over carefully before answering.

"He was a bit better right after eating something, though he didn't eat much and drank only a glass of juice. He was unsteady on his feet all evening and his face was flushed but I thought it was because of the whole Ziva thing." He heard the other man sigh over the sounds of stuff being moved around from where Ducky was most likely gathering his things so he could get going.

"What's wrong Duck?"

"_I can't say for sure what's wrong, but that doesn't sound good seeing as we have no idea how the boy really is."_

"I think he's at the headquarters since he's car is in there and he'd need to get that to get anywhere. Can you meet me there? "

"_I'll be there as soon as I can, It shouldn't take me long at all." _

Gibbs nodded his head and pressed the end call- button before placing both hands on the steering wheel and pressing on the gas pedal harder. After the talk with Ducky, his gut was churning more than ever and his chest tightened with worry.~

* * *

><p>Tony ran a tired hand over his eyes as he climbed out of the cab and made his way to the entry to the big NCIS building.<p>

He was feeling like crap and the headache had gotten worse and was now feeling like a freaking migraine. On top of that he was also feeling thirsty and his mouth tasted like shit after he'd thrown up just before the cabbie arrived to pick him up.

He quickly passed the security check and exchanged a few words with the night guards before getting in an elevator that would take him to the bullpen.

There was a resignation letter in his bottom drawer of his desk from when he'd written it a few months back when he had first started to get a bit overwhelmed with the whole romance thing between Ziva and Gibbs. In hindsight it might have been better to just get it over with then and move on, but at the time he couldn't leave Gibbs even though he knew there would never be anything between them and that it would break his heart to stay and see the silver fox with David. He couldn't help but wonder if his heart would have been broken less if he'd gone then.

He signed the letter and wrote in the correct date before pushing himself up from his desk chair where he'd collapsed a few minutes earlier.

He wasn't prepared to the whole world tilting and he fell back so he was once again sitting down. He waited a minute for his vision to clear before trying again, this time though he was prepared and he rode out the wave of dizziness and nausea before taking a cautious step forward and making his way to Gibbs' desk.

Tony cleared his throat a bit and licked his dry lips as he put the letter along with his badge and gun on the team leader's desk before turning to leave. He felt like crying at the finality of offering his resignation, but he knew there was no other way So he sucked it up and unsteadily made his way to the elevators.

He took the elevator down to the parking garage and he was grateful for the sold walls he could lean against to keep himself from sliding down to sit on the floor as he waited for the elevator to reach it's destination.

He heard the ding before the doors opened to reveal the almost deserted parking lot. He took a step forward and swayed dangerously before he reached a hand out to steady himself on the wall of the lift.

He shook his head to clear it, but it didn't seem to work. He did a mental shrug as he looked around with his blurry vision and noticed the shadow that was his car.

Taking a deep breath he figured that if he moved quickly, he would get to his car before the dizziness hit. In his tired mind it sounded like a good plan and he spared no further thought to it.

He took another deep breath before pushing himself off the wall and making a beeline for the car. He was almost halfway there when he realized that he was tilting more and more to the right and before he could even try and right himself he was lying on the floor of the parking garage.

He tried to raise himself up bit his limbs wouldn't co-operate and so he was forced to just lie there on the cold floor. He could feel himself shivering as he started to drift off and he swore he could have heard a car screeching to a halt on the other side of the lot. Maybe he was hallucinating.

His last thought before darkness consumed him was that maybe he really was getting sick.

TBC...

_**Oh no, what's wrong with my Tony? I know that it's a bit of a cruel place to end, but you'll find out everything in the next chappie and I'll try not to make you wait too long :) **_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Okay so this is one of my late night updates again :D I needed to get this chapter written an posted because SOMEONE is threatening me with half rotten tomatoes :D Lol, Okay but seriously , I hope you like the chappie :) Can't say when the next chapter will be up, it may take a few days so I'm going to set the deadline on... Tuesday evening. That should give me enough time so I wont have to be afraid of rotten tomatoes or those onions I hate so much :D Oh and I think we're nearing the end guys... A chapter or two and then I'm done for now, and I know I've said that before but this time I mean it ;D**_

Gibbs sighed with relief as he got out of his car in the NCIS parking garage and saw the unmistakable form of Tony's beloved vehicle in the distance. If the car was still here, then most likely DiNozzo was too and knowing the younger man, he was in the bullpen typing up his resignation.

He heard another car pull up next to his and as he looked up he wondered how fast the ME had been driving to reach the headquarters so fast. He raised an eyebrow at the older man as the ME got out of his own car and moved to get his medical bag from the back seat.

"Well under the circumstances I decided to take a page out of your book Jethro." The worry in the older man's eyes made the urgency Gibbs had been feeling flare up again and with a quick motion towards the elevators he began walking in that direction, trusting his friend to follow.

The men rounded their cars and headed towards the lifts when Gibbs noticed something lying on the garage floor, half hidden behind one of the parked cars. It took him a second to realize that the something wasn't a thing at all but rather a someone and he took of at the direction of the person.

It took him a minute or less to reach the fallen figure and when he saw who it was he turned to yell for Ducky, only to find that the older man had followed him.

As one the men gently turned Tony over and maneuvered the limp body so that Gibbs was sitting behind him and holding the young man up against his chest so that the unconscious man wasn't completely lying on the cold floor. As Gibbs pulled out his cell to call an ambulance, Ducky busied himself with taking the younger man's vitals.

"What's wrong with him Duck? " Gibbs asked anxiously as he hung up and watched he ME take Tony's blood pressure and temperature after feeling his pulse. He ran a soothing hand through Tony's hair, the action making him feel better even if it evoked no response from the unconscious figure.

"He's running a low-grade fever and his heart rate is up whereas his blood pressure is significantly lower than it should be." Ducky moved to check the younger man's eyes and his lips pursed as he noticed how sunken the eyes had become.

Jethro noticed the change in his friend's expression and felt himself tense in response.

"What is it?" Unconsciously he tightened his hold on the young man he was holding as he waited for the response.

Instead of answering directly the older man started looking frantically around, wishing the EMT's would hurry. "Where are the paramedics? We need to get an IV going before-" He didn't get a chance to finish when Tony's body started twitching in Jethro's arms, causing the team leader's eyes to widen in shock.

"Lay him down Jethro, Quickly! Make sure he doesn't hit his head during the seizure." The doctor counted the time in his head while watching the seizure run it's course. He didn't take his eyes of his charge even when he heard the sirens of the approaching ambulance.

Only when the seizing started to die down and Tony's body lay limply on the ground did he acknowledge the men pulling a stretcher to their location.

Ducky rose to his feet to fill in one of the medics while the other made his way to Tony and knelt beside him, spearing a quick look at Gibbs who was now holding Tony's hand and running a hand through his hair.

"What have we got?" The paramedic called out to his partner who had just received the report from Ducky.

"Possible case of severe dehydration and malnourishment. Need to keep a close eye on the ox-levels too." The older of the two medics answered as he came to kneel beside his partner who nodded his head at the information.

"Agent DiNozzo? Can you hear me?" The older medic tried to rouse their patient as the younger one started an IV and placed an ox-sat meter on Tony's finger.

Tony only groaned in response to the man pressing his finger nail but didn't wake up, satisfied with the knowledge that the patient was responding to pain and with the IV going, the medics rolled Tony onto the stretcher and moved to wheel him in the ambulance.

Gibbs had watched the proceedings while clutching the younger man's cool hand in his and once Tony was safely on the stretcher he moved to follow it into the ambulance.

"I'm riding with him." He asserted with a tone that brook no arguments and since there was just enough room for him in the ambulance, the medics just shrugged and let him climb in.

"I'll meet you at Bethesda" Ducky called out before the doors closed and he watched the ambulance drive away with the lights flashing in the dimly lit garage. He looked up and send a prayer to who ever was listening that Anthony would be alright.

The drive to the hospital was a blur to Gibbs who kept his focus on the man lying on the stretcher and didn't pay attention to the gibberish the EMT was spouting. He held onto the cool hand as if he could keep Tony with him by the touch alone.

Once they reached the hospital they forced him to let go though as they wheeled Tony to the emergency room where he wasn't allowed to while they checked the younger man out. He paced the waiting room while waiting for some one to tell him how Tony was. He saw Ducky come in and offer him a small reassuring smile before disappearing behind the ER's closed doors where Gibbs himself had been denied access.

It took nearly two hours before the ME came back through the doors and made his way to his friend who had given up trying to make a dent on the floor in favor of sitting down and trying to bore a hole into the ER doors with his gaze.

As Gibbs noticed the doctor following his friend he got up and as soon as the two men were little closer he barked out the question that had been plaguing him during the whole time. "How is he?"

Not fazed by the impatient tone the young looking doctor introduced himself as Doctor Tom Sands before answering the voiced question.

"When Agent DiNozzo was brought in he was severely dehydrated causing the seizure you witnessed before the ambulance arrived. We ran a CT scan and there appears to be no damaged cause by the episode. Agent DiNozzo is also malnourished so we have him on fluids that will help both to re-hydrate his system, but also will give him some of the nutrients he needs. He is also running a fever which worsened his condition and there is some signs of congestion in his lungs so we started him on antibiotics just in case, seeing as his body is already under a lot of stress and we don't want to take the chance of him developing a chest infection. Agent DiNozzo is also clearly exhausted as is his body, so I have him on light sedative so he can rest through the remainder of the night. He's being moved to a ward as we speak, and per doctor Mallards request I have told the personnel there to let you remain with him for the time being as I was told it would be more beneficial than trying to make you stay away." There was a small smile on the doctors lips and Gibbs relaxed slightly.

"So he'd going to be okay?" He confirmed from Ducky after he's thanked the other doctor who'd disappeared back through the ER doors.

"Jethro, he will be fine. He just needs food, plenty of fluids and some TLC and he'll be back to good health. Now I can show you to his room, but then I fear I do need to get home to get some sleep before work tomorrow, I can drop by the lab first thing in the morning to tell out dear Abigail of what has transpired tonight if you'd like."

"I'd appreciate that, She will be pissed she was left out of the loop for even this long. Can you leave out Ziva's part in all of this? I'll explain that to her myself tomorrow."

"Certainly, though I do think she will be even more cross with us for not telling her immediately." The two men reached the ward that Tony had been taken to and one of the nurses pointed them to the right room.

Gibbs lead the way into the private room and he struggled to not show just how much it affected him to see Tony lying so still and pale on the hospital bed. There was a nasal cannula under his nose providing him some extra oxygen the doctor didn't want to take any chances with his plague- damages lungs.

"As I said Jethro, he will be fine. He may even be released later today or tomorrow morning if the can get him to eat and his lungs won't give him any trouble." Ducky laid a hand on Jethro's shoulder and squeezed it lightly before bidding his good nights and telling Gibbs to get some rest.

Once he was alone with Tony, Gibbs moved to sit on the chair next to the hospital bed. He carefully took the younger man's hand in his and brought it to his lips so he could place a gentle kiss on the dry knuckles.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He whispered to the sleeping figure before leaning forward as if he wanted to share some secret with him. "I love you too" Now he just had ti figure out how to convince Tony of that.

He laid his head on he bed next to Tony's hip with their joint hands under his cheek. He knew his neck would kill him in the morning, but right at the moment he couldn't care less as he let the sounds of the younger man's breathing lull him to sleep.

TBC...


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Lol, okay so this is getting out of hand people :D I really wasn't supposed to post yet, but then I got to writing and suddenly I had this chapter ready and... Yeah, So I hope you don't mind me posting this so early ;) But the next chapter won't be up before Tuesday or Wednesday, I mean it since I have evening shift tomorrow and morning shift on Tuesday so I won't have time to write before Tuesday evening at the earliest (nut this chappie is a tad longer than usual to make up for the wait). Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! I really love reading what you think of the fic and what you think should happen next. Hope you'll enjoy this chappie! :) **_

Tony groaned as he returned to consciousness. His head was aching albeit it wasn't as bad as before, but still enough to make his mere existence painful. Not to mention that his whole body felt like he'd run the marathon, even if he couldn't remember doing anything that would result in that feeling.

And then his eyes snapped open as he remembered the thought about getting sick and collapsing in the parking garage at NCIS.

He took in his surroundings and groaned again pitifully as he realized that he'd ended up in the hospital. Just his luck, only he could end up in the place for something as stupid as being love sick. Just pathetic.

He tried to move his left hand but felt the tug of the IV that was taped there so he lifter the right one instead which proved to be just as enlightening, not because he discovered new medical equipment attached to him, which he did in the for of the ox-meter squeezing his finger, but for he realized he wasn't alone.

He didn't have time to ponder that revelation for long because it seemed that the movement of the hand that was held tight by someone else, woke that same someone else and Tony couldn't contain the gasp of surprise that escaped his lips upon seeing Gibbs raise his head to lock his brilliant blue eyes with his own hazel ones.

"Tony? You feeling okay?" The question was almost lost on the younger man as he just stared at the most beautiful pair of eyes he had ever encountered and it took all of his strength to break the searing eye contact. He turned his head to look away from the man who seemed to be looking right through him.

"Yeah I'm fine." He muttered as he desperately tried to figure out what the older man was doing there. He looked out from the window and was surprised to see it was light outside and he checked the clock on the wall and his eyes widened as he noticed that it was already nine in the morning.

He looked back at Gibbs and saw the annoyed and even a bit pissed look on his face and he knew he was in big trouble.

"Gibbs what are you still doing here, you should go, you need to get to work!" He was puzzled as that only seemed to make the other man look even more annoyed.

He gasped in surprise when he felt a hand grip his chin hard to make sure he couldn't turn away from those blue eyes that were again boring into his own with an intensity he had only dreamed of being directed at him.

"Listen carefully Tony, You are not fine, you're still exhausted, and making yourself sick by not taking care of yourself, Never lie to me about your health again is that clear?" All Tony could do was nod as his eyes grew wide at the intensity of the words and look the older man was giving him.

"Second, I told Ziva We wouldn't be in today since you need to rest and I am going to make damn sure you get all the rest you need."

As Gibbs saw the confusion on Tony's face at the last statement and he sighed as he realized that the younger man must have been emotionally even worse off than he thought and had missed at least some of what had been said the previous night.

"You didn't hear that?" He wanted to clarify and he growled in frustration as the head in his grip shook in answer to his question.

He took a deep breath as he thought that he might as well get the rest over with too "What about when she told what I said on our first night together?" The way Tony flushed and wrenched his head and hand away from his grip and looked away told him everything he needed to know. The younger man had heard, but didn't believe.

And he didn't really blame him after Ziva's lies. He knew this wasn't the right time or the place for this conversation as he could see that although better, Tony was still feeling like shit. But he didn't think the conversation could wait, as the younger man had already shown how ready to bolt he was.

Taking a deep breath Gibbs got up from the chair and sat on the edge of the bed and again took the younger man's hand in his.

"Tony look at me." When the younger ma just kept staring out of the window Gibbs decided to up the ante a little.

"Please Tony." It wasn't like the younger man could deny the man anything when he pleaded with him like that _and _used the magic word. He turned teary eyes to look at the older man.

"Don't do this Gibbs, please. I can't handle it." Gibbs was surprised by that and he used his free hand to cup the younger man's cheek as he tried to figure out what was going through his mind.

"Can't do what Tony? What is it that you think you can't handle?" Tony couldn't keep it in any longer. His breath hitched as he tried to keep his emotions at check, cursing his weakness for making hiding behind a mask impossible.

"I can't handle you telling me it was just a one more game. Please you know how I feel about you so don't make this any harder for me. I can't be here anymore and I don't want to make you choose between me and her because I know what your choice will always be. Just leave me alone Gibbs, I can't take it. I already left my gun and badge at your desk along with my resignation so just, go." With the last words Tony lost his battle with his emotions and felt tears sliding down his face.

Gibbs felt his heart break at the turmoil he could see in Tony's face but the quiet acceptance behind all the pain was the hardest thing to understand and come to terms with. As the younger man broke down Gibbs could do nothing but draw the shaking man into his arms and try to comfort him the best he could. He could feel Tony struggling against the embrace but he just held on, silently lending support to the young man who meant so much to him.

After a while the younger man calmed down and just fell into the arms that were holding him, the fight leaving his body feeling completely spent.

"Why are you doing this?" He whispered into the shoulder of the man who was still hugging him close and running a soothing hand up and down his back.

"Because I want to." Tony pulled back at the unexpected answer and looked at the man sitting beside him.

"But why?" He needed to know, needed to understand.

"Because I love you too." The words came easily and rang true in Gibbs' ears as he smiled reassuringly to Tony. His smile faltered though as he noticed how the younger man paled and shook his head frantically, struggling anew to get away from him.

"No, you can't." Tony muttered as he tried to fight the arms that wouldn't let him go.

"Tony, take it easy!" Gibbs tried to calm him down but the younger man wasn't listening.

"Didn't you hear her? She was right, just a pathetic whore who bends down for anyone who's willing to have a go. Even Tim and Abby and even Ducky know it too, know how weak and pathetic it is. You have to see it Gibbs, I'm nothing I'm not worth it! You were happy with Ziva, you can go back to her and be happy again if I'm not here ruining it!"

Gibbs glanced worriedly at the door, he was surprised no one had came in during Tony's outburst to see what was going on. He was just about ready to go and beat everyone who had ever made the young man in front of him to feel like he was worthless or any of the other things he'd said about himself. He could start with Ziva and work his way back, probably ending with DiNozzo senior.

"DiNozzo!" He barked in an effort to make the younger man stop fighting him, he was glad that the commanding tone worked, but he was less than happy to see the frantic look in the younger man's eyes or the weariness with what he was regarded.

"Tony I love you. I mean it and no, I wasn't happy with Ziva how could I have been when she isn't the one I love? She was a mistake Tony, nothing more and she was wrong about you. You are not a whore, nor are you pathetic, I don't care about just anyone but I do care about you and I love you and I will do whatever it takes to prove it to you. But Tony you need to calm down, can you do that for me?"

He waited until the younger man nodded before releasing the tight hold he'd had on the younger man as he moved to sit back in the hard chair, deciding that it might be a good idea to give Tony some space. He did however take a hold of the younger man's hand in his, hoping that Tony would allow the touch.

Tony for his part was speechless, he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Gibbs telling _him _that he _loved him_. It was like all his fantasies coming true and maybe it was because of that that he found it too good to believe. He bit his bottom lip as he looked at Gibbs who was sitting there watching him process everything.

"You really mean that?" He asked shyly from the older man who looked at him seriously.

"With all my heart." Tony nodded at the confirmation, but there was still something making him unable to believe it.

"Show me?" He wanted it to come out demanding, but instead the words came out questioning and unsure.

Gibbs looked confused for a second before he smiled slightly and bend forward enough to press his lips gently against Tony's. It wasn't a long kiss, but the feeling behind it was loud and clear and Tony couldn't help but smile a little as he licked his lips as Gibbs pulled back.

"That prove anything?" Jethro asked with a smile as he saw the dreamy look on the Italian's face after the sweet kiss.

"Enough." Tony's smile faltered as he thought about his resignation sitting on Gibbs' desk at work and the fact that he would still have to leave NCIS and his family since he didn't think he could trust Ziva again to watch his back.

Gibbs saw the change but before he could ask the reason behind it, the younger man spoke tiredly. "I still can't stay Gibbs, I can't trust Ziva to watch my back at work and I know you can replace me more easily than her." The resignation in the younger man's words made Gibbs cringe and he almost let out a growl of annoyance, but held it back.

"Tony, There are two people I need in my team. In this day and age I need McGee and his computer skills and there's no one who can replace him in the team, but even more than him, I need my second in command. I need you Tony." As the younger man opened his mouth to protest Gibbs went on.

"You have been on my team the longest, you know what I need even before I have chance to ask for it, you aren't afraid to stand up to me and you bring your great investigative skills to the team along with your street smarts. Ziva came to the team only because of Shepard's whim. The reason she's still here is because until now, it was less of an hassle to just her on the team as there was no reason to kick her out. Now she crossed the line to being more trouble than she's worth. I wasn't going to make any permanent decisions before Monday, but I won't lose you because of her. I need you Tony, there's no one I'd rather have on my six than you."

He looked closely at Tony to make sure the younger man understood what he was saying and he relaxed slightly as he saw the tension leave Tony's shoulders.

"So what happens now?" Tony untangled his hand from Gibbs' raising it to rub his forehead to try and ease the headache still drumming in his skull.

Jethro winched in sympathy, Ducky had explained that the younger man would be having a headache for a few days until the effects of the dangerous dehydration went away.

"Now you'll get some sleep. You're exhausted and you passed out twice yesterday because of dehydration, so you'll stay here for at least most of today so the nice people here at the hospital can pump you full of fluids. You're also malnourished and the doc wants to make sure you're eating before you can get out of here and come back to my house so I can keep an eye on you. Why didn't you tell me you were feeling this bad?"

The worry in the older man's eyes made Tony feel bad for causing that look and he looked down at the sheet covering his lower body as he shrugged his shoulders.

"It didn't matter, I didn't think it'd get this bad."

"Well it did." Gibbs said in a harsh tone before softening his tone. "And It does matter Tony, because you matter to me. Never scare me like that again. Seeing you lying on the floor of the parking lot-" Gibbs trailed off as he remembered the panic he'd felt when he saw that it was his Tony lying unconscious on the cold floor. "Just don't do it again."

For the first time Tony really realized just how much Gibbs really cared about him and it made his heart beat a bit faster and he felt better than he had in months.

"Love you too Gibbs." He smiled before yawning widely, belatedly moving his hand to cover his mouth.

"Get some rest Tony, I'll be here waiting for you. " Gibbs got up and tucked the younger man in before leaning down and brushing a gentle kiss across the tempting lips of his new lover.

Tony closed his eyes contently but they popped open a second later when he felt a gentle slap being delivered to the top of his head.

"What was that for?" He demanded while theatrically rubbing the spot on his head where the tap had landed.

"For being and idiot." Gibbs answered simply, not at all apologetic for delivering the gentle version of the usual head slap.

Tony smiled sheepishly as he realized he had been a bit hasty in his assumptions. But he couldn't help but still feel a bit apprehensive about the whole thing. He couldn't help but wonder if this was all just a faze, if Gibbs just felt bad for the younger man and had decided to humor him for a while. As he felt the older man run his hand through his hair he sighed and snuggled into the pillows and leaned into the gentle touch.

He still thought he wasn't good enough for the older man, but for now he was just content to let Gibbs be there for him and see where this was going. He didn't want to worry about what might happen when the older man got tired of him, so he just let himself drift off to sleep lulled by the hand now massaging his scalp.

He didn't see the look on Gibbs' face that would have told him that Gibbs knew exactly what he was thinking about. If he had seen it, he would have also seen the look of love and determination on his face, as Jethro was determined to show Tony just how much he meant to him and to dispel all the doubts the younger man still had of his feelings.

TBC...


	11. Chapter 11

It was just a little after ten am when Tony was jerked awake from his peaceful sleep by the opening of the door and a high pitched voice screaming his name before a black hurricane engulfed him.

"Hey Abs, Fancy seeing you here." He whispered to the goth in his arms who'd managed to knock the wind from him with her patented tackle hug. "What took you so long?" He added as an afterthought since somehow he would have thought that Gibbs would have called her earlier and that she would have come as soon as she could.

Tony glanced at Gibbs who was still sitting by his bed and who just shrugged his shoulders to show he didn't know the answer to the question either.

"Don't you Abs me." The stern words coming from the goth who was now standing between the two men with her hands on her hips, brought his mind back to the woman. "You are such an idiot for not taking care of yourself and making yourself so sick, I mean you were so dehydrated you passed out and they had to pump you full of fluids and did you know that you can die of that kind of dehydration and then you had to go further and not eat! And I would have been here earlier but Duckman told me you need some time to figure something out so he made me stay at work until now. What's up with that anyway? What aren't you telling me?"

Her eyes were narrowed as she alternated from glaring at Tony to glaring at Gibbs. The older man just stared back at her, whereas Tony's mind was spinning. He couldn't remember Ducky's part in any of this but it didn't take a genius to figure out Gibbs must have called him at some point, but the fact that he knew enough about what was going on to know he and Gibbs needed some time alone worried the young man for some reason.

Tony closed his eyes briefly as his insides twisted with worry and anxiety over the current situation. He felt better after being given a lot of IV fluids and having rested for a while, but he still had a headache and the constant emotional roller coaster had his stomach rolling with nausea.

"Tony?" Abby's worried question made the Italian open his eyes and he looked at the concerned face of the goth and to Gibbs' frowning one.

"I'm fine Abs, just a bit tired I guess." He sent a pleading look at Gibbs, begging him to come to the rescue so Tony wouldn't have to go through the events of the previous night again since he really though the nausea might overwhelm him if he tried.

"Abby, can I speak to you outside." Jethro took Abby's arm and gently steered her outside to fill her in as he saw that Tony didn't want to talk about the whole thing nor hear about it, even if Abby needed to be told what was going on. He was honored that Tony trusted him enough to let him do this

Tony watched wearily as the two exited his room and as soon as the door closed he closed his eyes again and leaned heavily against the pillows while rubbing his temples. He deliberately tried to think of something else to keep his self destructive side from trying to listen in on the conversation he knew was taking place outside his door.

Apart from the outraged cry of "That bitch did what?" from Abby, there was nothing to be heard and he was getting anxious to hear what was going on. Abby and Ziva hadn't really seen eye to eye in the beginning, but lately the two had gotten more close to each other, only hitch between the two being that Abby hadn't been best pleased about Ziva's and Gibbs' relationship, but apart from that the two were friends. So what if now the goth thought that it was all Tony's fault things had gotten to this point? She had warmed up to Ziva, maybe she had also warmed up to the idea of her friend dating Gibbs and now Tony had ruined it.

He wasn't left to wonder for long as soon the door opened again and Abby rushed in to hug the distraught Italian.

"Tony I'm so sorry, I don't know how I could have been friends with her, I mean When I get my hands on that that evil, conniving-" Tony put a finger to her lips to stop her from finishing the sentence that obviously wasn't going to be too flattering to the other woman.

"Don't Abs." He whispered, he didn't really like Ziva at the moment, but he wasn't willing to be the reason for others to hate her too.

"But she could have caused you to get seriously ill with her little stunts." She whined, not willing to let the subject drop.

"But she didn't." The goth looked at Gibbs for support, but the older man just shook his head at her.

Tony saw the silent exchange and sighed heavily as he realized that even if the two were letting this go for now, the whole thing was far from over and Abby would think of some devious plan to make David pay for how she'd treated him.

"Look, she's already lost everything, her boyfriend, her job. I think it's just best to move on and let her do the same. Abby, promise me you won't do anything to her or her computer or anything else of hers?"

He saw Abby bite her lip as if trying to find a way out from promising, but not finding one, she let her shoulders slump slightly in defeat. "Pinky promise." She held her pinky out to seal the deal before she gave both her guys a kiss on the cheek and a hug before making up an excuse of having to go to work.

Once outside the hospital room she pulled out her cell phone and dialed McGee's number. After all Gibbs had promised she could tell him what was going on and even if _she_ couldn't do anything to Ziva or her stuff, it didn't mean that McGee couldn't either.

No one hurt her guys and got away with it. Besides even if Gibbs had done a good job on dancing around the subject, she knew that something was going on with Tony and the bossman and she hated the fact that David had been keeping those two apart. Abby thought the Italian was much better suited for the ex-marine than Ziva had been anyway and she knew for fact that both Ducky and McGee agreed with her on that. She just hoped that the two boneheads would really get together now that there was no one between them since they were so prefect for each other.

Now just to deal with the ninja chick as Tony used to call her, and she would leave Tony in Gibbs' capable hands for now. Some TLC bossman style, and the younger man would be as fine as he always claimed to be, she had full confidence that Gibbs would take care of him.

TBC...

_**A/N: I know, I'm sorry, I was more busy than I thought and didn't have much time to be on my computer which is why I haven't responded to the wonderful reviews you guys left me after chapter 10, so I'd like to thank you all for them and I do appreciate every single on of the reviews even if I did neglect to answer individually. And I know this chappie is a bit hurried and not my best, but I'll try to make it up to you in the next chapter, which will also be the last of this ficcie. Thank you again to everyone who reviewed and I'll try to post the last chapter on Friday evening/night. :)**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: I know I know, I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened. I was supposed to post yesterday, but for some reason I just didn't seem to be able to get this chapter written and it took me this long to get it out of my head and onto the computer. But I hope you'll enjoy the chapter none the less. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, put this fic on alert or to their favorite list. I'm so happy this story got so many readers and currently this fic has gotten more reviews than any of my other fics! So thank you to everyone you guys are the best! Now to the last chapter:**_

Getting out of the hospital felt like being released from prison to Tony and as he stepped into the bright afternoon he made a show of taking a deep breath and exhaling as loudly as he could.

"Ah, sweet freedom." He looked to the right to see the amused eyes of Gibbs looking at him and the weight of the hand at the small of his back urged him to move forward towards the car he could see parked a few spaces away.

"You were there for a day and already DiNozzo. It couldn't have been that bad for you."

Tony just scoffed at that as Gibbs steered him to the passenger's side of the older man's car and despite the Italian's protest, bend down to buckle him in before going to the other side of the vehicle.

They drove in silence towards Gibbs' house as Tony dozed lightly the whole way there and the other man flicked glances at him as if to make sure he was really there. The doctor had given the all clear for Tony to since he'd managed to eat both lunch and a light snack. The younger man still needed rest for his body to recover from the abuse it had been taking, and he needed to take his antibiotics to make sure he didn't develop a chest infection, but those things didn't require a prolonged hospital stay.

Once at the house, Gibbs killed the engine and rounded the car before carefully shaking the younger man's shoulder to rouse him.

"Tony we're here."

The younger man opened his eyes and blearily looked around to determine where exactly was 'here'. Once he realized they had reached the older man's home he couldn't help the goofy grin spreading across his face before censure kicked in an he smiled sheepishly up at the other man who had his eyebrow quirked in amusement.

Tony cleared his throat and levered himself up, the grin threatening to break out again when he felt Gibbs place a guiding hand again at the small of his back.

The two men made their way inside and into the kitchen where Tony dropped to sit it one of the kitchen chairs while Gibbs loaded the coffee machine and leaned on the counter to wait for it to percolate.

"You want something to drink?" The one restriction the doctor had set for Tony was that he wasn't allowed coffee for the rest of the day and he'd also pressed the importance that Tony would need to drink plenty and eat regular meals so Gibbs had gone to the store earlier to stock up his fridge with different kind of juices and healthy foods along with a few of the junk food snacks the younger man enjoyed so much.

"Not right now thanks." Gibbs nodded his head, not really pleased by the answer but willing to let it go for now. He'd just have to ask again in an hour or so.

Neither man really knew what to do at the moment. They didn't need to go to work before Monday and Tony was feeling good enough that he wasn't bound to bed all the time, even if the headache still lingered and he needed to rest more than usual.

Once the coffee was done Gibbs took a cup and filled it with the hot liquid before turning to his companion.

"Wanna help me with the boat?" Tony looked sceptically at the older man at the offer, but upon finding the older man standing there with an expectant expression he shrugged his shoulder and stood up to follow the other man into the basement.

Gibbs had obviously made a lot of progress on the boat since the last time Tony had laid his eyes on the creation and he took a few minutes just to circle the thing and look it over, he took in the smooth surface of the bottom and wondered what Gibbs wanted him to do since the boat looked pretty finished to him.

As if reading his mind the older man walked over to him and wrapped his arms around him from behind, startling the younger man, and answered the silent question. "It still has some rough patches that need to be smoothed before coating the surface."

To demonstrate his point he casually took one of Tony's hands in his and ran the fingertips over a particularly rough spot, smiling as he felt the shiver that ran up the younger man's spine. He reach to the side to pick up a piece of sanding paper which he handed to the younger man.

"Get to work Tony." Gibbs noticed the light flush on the younger man's face and he was quite certain it had nothing to do with having a temperature or anything like that, but to be on the same side he pressed his lips to the younger man's forehead to check anyway. The way the flush deepened at the contact made cemented the fact that it was this new found closeness that was affecting the young man.

Deciding to not push too much he retreated to the other side of the boat and found a spot for himself to work on.

Tony liked the quiet companionship as they worked on the boat together and with a start he realized that he could get used to this. It was less than a day since they'd decided to give a relationship a go, but he already found that he was completely at ease with the older man and somehow the way Gibbs had let him into his basement to work with him on something so important to him, it gave him confidence that they might actually make this work.

After an hour of working in silence Gibbs threw Tony a look that told him to keep working while he himself ran upstairs.

The younger man looked puzzled as he tried to figure out where Gibbs had run off to, but it took only a few minutes for him to return and the meaning behind his departure came clear. As the older man neared him holding a glass of what looked like juice held in his hand, which he offered to his companion with a pointed look, Tony felt a warm feeling settle inside of him at the simple gesture that told him just how much Gibbs cared about his health even off the job.

He took the glass of juice without even thinking of protesting and under the ex-marines watchful eyes drained half of the glass, realizing that he actually was thirsty. The next gesture wasn't as well received as Gibbs pulled his other hand from behind his back and Tony saw the two small pills nestled in the middle.

"Do I really have to? I'm not even coughing." Gibbs just raised his brow at the whining man in front of him and after glaring mutinously at the unmoving figure Tony sighed and took the pills and swallowed them with the rest of his drink.

"There, you happy now?" He asked pouting slightly as he put the empty glass down on a nearby work bench before turning back to the older man.

"No, I'll be happy when you won't have to take the pills anymore."

Tony looked at the serious expression on the other man's face and he bit his lip lightly before deciding he didn't like the worried look in the older man's eyes so he took a step forward and hesitantly pressed his lips to Gibbs'. As soon as their lips touched the older man wrapped his arm around Tony's waist and pulled him closer and smiled against the soft lips.

When the two men pulled apart Tony looked at the blue eyes and leaned into the hand that rose to cup his cheek. He saw the smug look on the older man's smiling face and he rested his forehead against the other man's.

"You played me didn't you?" Tony didn't sound offended by the prospect, but sighed dramatically which only caused Gibbs to smiled more widely which was a good look on the older man.

"Maybe. You got a problem with that?" Gibbs challenged lightly.

"Not at all Boss." feeling more daring Tony pressed another kiss to the older man's lips before pulling back and yawning widely.

"I think someone's ready for a nap." Gibbs teased him as he pulled the younger man into a tighter embrace, reveling in the fact that he was able to do so. "And you do realize you can call me Jethro when we're alone like this?"

"On it, Jethro." Tony grinned as he said the name and Jethro almost groaned as he realized that now the other man would make it his mission to find him some more fitting nick name. But startlingly he found that he was looking forward to it as he was looking forward to all the things he and Tony get to experience together now that they were in a relationship.

The two men went upstairs where Tony made his way into the guest bedroom without protest to take a nap since he was feeling a bit tired. Gibbs watched him go before making his way to the den where he pulled out his cellphone and made a few calls about the faith of Ziva. Once that was taken care of he made his way upstairs to check on his partner.

He smiled slightly as he saw the younger man doze on the big guest bed, he wanted to just hold the younger man and make all the doubts that were still plaguing the Italian's mind go away. After watching the younger man shift restlessly a few times he decided to do just that and carefully climbed into the bed beside the younger man.

He lay on his side, pondering the wisdom of his actions since he wasn't sure how Tony would feel about him pushing their relationship, even if this was about being close and there was nothing sexual about getting into bed with the other man. His silent musings were answered when Tony turned to look at him through half closed eyes and with a content sigh curled up next to the older man with his hands balled into Jethro's shirt.

Gibbs wrapped his arms around the other man and pulled him closer. This felt right and was what Gibbs had been yearning for, but unable to get for so long. His relationship with Ziva wasn't bad really, but there wasn't this kind of closeness with her. With Tony it felt natural to show his more tender side and he could just enjoy the physical contact without there being any pressure of having to go further.

Jethro looked down at Tony's peaceful face and saw the happiness and contentment there, it made him hope that the younger man was really starting to get it and could let go of some of his insecurities.

Both men were at peace lying there together, they knew they would have to work hard for their relationship but neither man had any doubt it would be worth it. They had all the time they needed, right now they dozed in each others arms and the rest could wait until later.

* * *

><p><strong>Short Epilogue (aka: what about Ziva?): <strong>

The day couldn't get any worse.

She and McGee had just gotten their perp interrogated and were writing their reports when Ducky had walked into the bullpen to fill them in on the events of the previous day and the fact that Tony had ended up in the hospital.

The news had made Ziva feel more guilty about the way she had been treating Tony since she never wanted the man to get sick enough to require hospital stay. Tim had thrown her an accusing glance and she really couldn't blame him since the only thing she'd told him when asked why the two men weren't at work she'd answered with a cross "They're taking the day off."

She also hadn't missed the look the usually mild mannered ME send her way and it made her think that maybe it would be wisest to transfer to another team.

She had tuned out the conversation Ducky and Tim were having about Tony's condition since she didn't need to know any more than she already did.

Once Ducky had left the bullpen McGee kept throwing glances at her which she found terribly annoying but had tried her best to ignore.

And now she stood on the balcony next to the directors office and looked down at the bullpen. Turns out she doesn't need to think about a transfer as Vance had called her up to tell her that her father had requested her to be sent back to Israel and her position in NCIS would be terminated immediately. She would be required to fly back home in a few days, which left her just enough time to pack her things.

She wasn't really angry at being sent back to Israel since in a way she did miss home and she did want a chance to fix things with her father, though she wasn't really looking forward to leaving NCIS and USA. She had learned to love the strange country and enjoyed her work at NCIS. She couldn't quite wrap her mind around the fact that obviously Gibbs had pulled some strings to get her sent back and she did feel betrayed because of that.

Obviously she'd underestimated Gibbs' feelings for Tony and what he was willing to do for him. But even if she was feeling betrayed she wasn't really surprised, she'd known that the Italian wouldn't be able to trust her like before all this and so one of them would have to go, the fact that it was her did hurt, but again she had somehow expected it.

She looked down at the bullpen and saw Abby talking animatedly to Tim, obviously angry about something and the glances towards her empty desk told her exactly what or more accurately who that was. Obviously Abby knew the whole story as well and was sharing the details with her friend. As she saw just how angry and upset the Goth was and how the same feelings were written on Tim's face as well she couldn't help but think what the two were scheming as a pay back for her hurting their friend.

She knew she wasn't supposed to be intimidated by anything, but the more she watched Abby and Tim interact the more she started to think all the ways those two could make her life difficult.

Maybe she was safer going back to Israel.

She wasn't sure how to feel about the relief that thought brought her.

**THE END**

_**Hope you guys liked the chappie, I wasn't sure whether to add the epilogue or not, but decided I needed to let you know what happens to Ziva. **_


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